Bedok
Bedok is a neighbourhood in the eastern part of Singapore. Bedok New Town is the fifth Housing and Development Board (HDB) new town. The Bedok Planning Area, an urban planning zone under the Urban Redevelopment Authority, encompasses the Bedok New Town itself, the low-rise private residential areas along Upper East Coast Road, and in the districts of Kembangan, Siglap and Telok Kurau, and the high-rise private condominium developments in the eastern part of Marine Parade. Etymology and early history "Bedok" seems to be a very old place name. In the 1604 Manuel Gomes de Erédia's map of Singapore, there is a reference to the Bedok River called sune bodo (Sungei Bedok). Bedok is one of the early native place names in existence around the time of Sir Stamford Raffles. In the first comprehensive map of Singapore Island completed by Frankin and Jackson and reproduced in John Crawfurd's 1828 book, the place name appears on the south east coast of the island as a river, Badok S. (Sungei Bedok), around the "small red cliff", a part of present Tanah Merah. The Malay word bedoh refers to a type of slit drum made from a large hollowed log for calling people to a mosque for prayers or to sound the alarm in the days before loudspeakers. There was a prominent mosque in the 1950s at Jalan Bilal that still used the drum about five times a day. The "h" in the word bedoh was replaced with a "k", and, as with most Malay words that end with a "k", it is pronounced with an inaudible glottal stop. A less popular version refers to an equally uncommon Malay term of biduk, a small fishing boat like the sampan, or more likely, a dugout canoe, as the east coast was dotted with many fishing villages. Modern development As a part of the Tanah Merah region, the history of Bedok is largely influenced by its coastal frontier. The general area known as Bedok today, was first mentioned in maps dating to the pre-Raffles era. After Singapore was colonised by the British in 1819, Simpang Bedok Village became an ethnically mixed community consisting of Chinese and Malay peoples. Before the 1960s, Bedok's primary source of income was coconut, which was harvested from the plantations that were found in Siglap subzone. Fishing was also another primary source of income for the villagers of Simpang Bedok at the time. Modern development of Bedok only began in 1966, when reclamation works along the coastal area began. In the following decade, Bedok was transformed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) into the country's fifth self-contained new town, with the first residential flats emerging in the vicinity by 1975. Following the Fall of Saigon that same year, Bedok Jetty became a focal point for Vietnamese refugees landing in Singapore during Operation Thunderstorm. Bedok New Town had been developed since 1973 with the newer roads such as Bedok Plain, Bedok Highway and Bedok Heights being built all the way until 1975. The New Upper Changi Road was fully built and opened in 1979, where the massive development had been completed except Bedok Reservoir and Kaki Bukit, which was built later in 1983 – 1988. At the same time, Bert Koh's family's house was in Harvey Crescent from 1978 to 1979, and oversaw the transformation of Tampines, before moving to Bedok Block 111 in 1979 to 1986, and Ivory Heights from 1986 to 2011. The house is smaller, which is 138 sq ft (similar to my house). The Ivory Heights, as well as Pasir Ris Block 159, are bigger houses (162 sq ft). Bedok New Town Bedok New Town covers a land area close to 9.4 km² with some 42% occupied for residential use. It was formerly a hilly region and hence the focal point of orientation of the town is the special landscaped park and sports complex built on the higher ground of the town. The residential blocks as well as the industrial area are planned based on the neighbourhood concept. There is also a town centre together with Bedok Mall and Bedok Point being built. Plans for an integrated complex, which will be as big as 3 football fields, have also been revealed in 2014. This complex will house a sports centre, library, clinic, centre for the elderly and the Kampong Chai Chee Community Club. The complex will be located in Bedok town centre and will be ready in 2017 and is called Heartbeat @ Bedok. Residential development There are some 58,000 units of flats built by the HDB in Bedok New Town. It provides housing for some 200,000 residents. *Bedok South **''Blocks 1-9,10A-E,12-30'' **Bedok South Parkview - Blocks 31-44,46-65 **Siglap Lucky Valley - Blocks 66-73 **Bedok South Horizon - Blocks 151,152,152A-C,153,153A-C,154,154A&B (U/C) **Siglap East - Blocks 155-172 '' *Bedok North **''Blocks 74-93,94A-E,95 **Pearl Garden - Blocks 98-106 **Fengshan Estate - Blocks 107-110 **''Blocks 111-140'' **Vista 8 - Blocks 180-184,184A **Fengshan Greenville - Blocks 186,186A&B,187,187A&B,188,188A-D **''Blocks 201-203'' **Bedok Town Centre - Blocks 204-206,208,208A-D,209-218 **Linear Green @ Bedok - Blocks 219,219A-D,220,220A-C,221,221A-C: 'Linear Green @ Bedok' is a housing estate, comprising of new towns (Blk 219A-221D). It was built in October 2008, and construction begun in 2006. **Bedok Beacon - Blocks 222,222A-C,223 (U/C) **Rainbow Ville - Blocks 401-413 **Garden Hill - Blocks 414-428 **Bedok North Woods - Blocks 429,429A&B,430,430A,431,431A (U/C) **Kaki Bukit Ville - Blocks 501-508 **''Blocks 509,509A-C,510,511,511A'' **Kaki Bukit Green - Blocks 512-518 **''Blocks 519-537,537A-C,538,539,539A'' **Bedok North Green - Blocks 540-547 **Bedok North Vale - Blocks 547A-D (U/C) **''Blocks 548-554,556,556A,557'' *Chai Chee **''Blocks 10,10A,11'' **Ping Yi Garden - Blocks 1,2,19 **Ping An Gardens - Blocks 20-24,55-60,803-805 **Ansar Garden - Blocks 25,25A,26,26A,27,27A,29,29A-C,30-40 **''Blocks 41-45'' **Chai Chee Gardens - Blocks 50-53 **Ping Yi Greens - Blocks 806,807,807A-C,808A-C *Bedok Reservoir **Reservoir Rise - Blocks 701-708 **Bedok Reservoir Garden - Blocks 709-721 **Reservoir View - Blocks 722-725 **Reservoir Village - Blocks 739,739A,740,740A,741-746 **Belvia (DBSS) - Blocks 747,747A-D,748,748A-C **Longvale - Blocks 760-775 *Kaki Bukit **Eunos Vista - Blocks 101-121 **Eunos Spring - Blocks 122-151 **Eunos Rainbow - Blocks 601-610 **Golden Cassia - Blocks 609A&B **Eunos Grove - Blocks 611-613,613A&C,614-616 **Eunos Heights - Blocks 617-629 **''Blocks 630-632'' **Eunos Tenaga Ville - Blocks 633-649 **Eunos Damai Ville - Blocks 650-672 *Kembangan **Kembangan Gardens - Blocks 101-116 Transportation There are two MRT stations in the Bedok area. These include Bedok MRT Station and Tanah Merah MRT Station. Bedok North Avenue 3 is a road that usually connects Bedok Reservoir Road and New Upper Changi Road. There are several landmarks in the Bedok North Avenue 3, these are: Bedok Green Secondary School, Red Swastika School, Yu Neng Primary School and Linear Green @ Bedok. Often it sees heavy and more important use of the road everyday because of the Bedok Mall opening. Bedok North Avenue 3 also connects to the Pan Island Expressway as well. New Upper Changi Road is a road that links between Siglap Road and Bedok Road. It was built in 1978 because of the development of Bedok New Town. It also have bus lanes since 20 September 2008 because of the increasing congestion in the vicinity. Also, the MRT viaduct parallels the road which covers the respective stations: Bedok and Tanah Merah. Recent developments such as Bedok Mall and Bedok Point have increased the significant coverage of the road. Sports Bedok Stadium is a football stadium located in the Bedok area of Singapore. The stadium is now home to the football club Geylang International FC which is playing in the S.League. The stadium is open daily from 4:30am till 8:30pm to the public, unless it is exclusively booked. The stadium is managed by the Singapore Sports Council. There is also an ActiveSG Swimming Pool which was originally at Bedok, of which Timothy Mok swimmed temporarily in 2005, before moving on to Tampines Swimming Pool. The Bedok Swimming Pool was relocated to Heartbeat @ Bedok in September 2017, and the Heartbeat @ Bedok is a town hub concept, which itierates from Kampong Chai Chee CC. At the Heartbeat @ Bedok, it had the facilities such as the Bedok Public Library, senior care centre, polyclinic and the sports centre together. Heartbeat @ Bedok was originally known as Bedok Town Hub and was opened in 24 September 2017. The stadium has a seating capacity of 3864. (2000 permanent, 1000 semi-permanent & 800 portable). The stadium consists of a soccer field, a 8-lane running track and partial athletic facilities. It is also part of the Bedok Sports Complex, a community sports facility that includes Bedok Swimming Complex, Bedok Sports Hall, Bedok Fitness Centre and the Bedok Stadium itself. The Sports Complex is also the home to the Singapore Silat Federation and the Singapore Sepak Takraw Federation. Bedok Public Library (Simplified Chinese: 勿洛社区图书馆) is a public library under the National Library Board network situated at 21 Bedok North Street 1, Singapore. It was officially opened on 28 September 1985 by Professor S Jayakumar, then Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as second Minister for Law, currently Senior Minister. With an area of 5,088 square metres, the library serves residents in the South East areas of Singapore, like Bedok North, Bedok Reservoir, Bedok South, Frankel, Kaki Bukit and Kembangan. In 2011 and 2015, the Bedok Public Library was used as a polling station for the general and presidential elections. The library will be relocated to Heartbeat @ Bedok on October 2017. Education Primary Schools *Bedok Green Primary School *Damai Primary School *East Coast Primary School *Fengshan Primary School *Haig Girls' School (Temporary) *Opera Estate Primary School *Red Swastika School *St Anthony's Canossian Primary School *St Stephen's School *Telok Kurau Primary School *Temasek Primary School *Yu Neng Primary School Secondary Schools *Anglican High School *Damai Secondary School *Ping Yi Secondary School *St Anthony's Canossian Secondary School *St Patrick's School *Victoria School Bedok Green Secondary School Bedok Green Secondary School (abbreviation: BGSS) is a co-educational neighbourhood government secondary school at 360 Bedok North Avenue 3, Singapore. Founded in January 2001, it was housed on the premises of the former Temasek Secondary School at 2 Bedok South Road and moved to its current location on 31 December 2002. The school's motto is Believe and Grow. The first Principal was Mrs Song Geok Hwa until her retirement in 2004. The second Principal was Mdm Tay Siok Hwa who took over until 2011. The current Principal is Mr Lim Yu Kee. The number of staff in the school has increased from 14 at the school's first opening to 75 in 2009, while pupil enrolment had reached over 1,400 by the beginning of 2009.History page, Bedok Green Secondary School. BGSS was officially opened on 4 July 2003 by the then Minister of State, Mr Raymond Lim. Its campus consists of six blocks around a garden, a multi-purpose hall, seven computer labs, a shooting range, several science labs, two design and technology workshops, a canteen, a library, a dance studio, some 40 classrooms, and a Pupil Activity Centre (PAC).Environment page, Bedok Green Secondary School. There is a parade square, where students gather every morning for a compulsory flag-raising ceremony. The current alumni is Michelle Lim Pei Hua. Bedok South Secondary School Bedok South Secondary School (Abbreviation: BDS) is a government, co-educational 'N'/'O'-level preparatory secondary school of the Ministry of Education of Singapore and serves secondary one through five. The school has since grown and established itself to become one of the more popular and quality- added schools in the Bedok neighbourhood. The school is situated just a few hundred metres from Tanah Merah MRT Station. The school is one of the very few schools selected to construct an indoor sports hall and also one of eight schools to be selected for the 'Teach Less, Learn More' programmes. Founded in 1980, Bedok South Secondary School shared its premises with Temasek Secondary School and Hong San Primary School. In June 1980, the school had the entire building for itself when students and staff of the other two schools moved out. BDS was located in Bedok housing estate – the eastern part of Singapore before being relocated to the current premises at 1 Jalan Langgar Bedok in Year 2003. The new campus was officially opened on 21 February 2004 by Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, Speaker of Parliament and MP for East Coast GRC (Siglap). The school is one of the first 20 schools in Singapore to have an indoor sports hall constructed in its premises. In 2009, the sports hall was fully constructed. Bedok South Secondary School was established in the Year 1980 and declared open on 29 April 1982 by Dr Lee Chiaw Meng, MP for Tanah Merah. Its first building was strategically located along New Upper Changi Road. From these premises, BDS endeavoured to cater to the educational needs of the Bedok Town Community in the fast-growing economy which was industrialising and propelling the nation towards prosperity. A comprehensive yet balanced educational programme was adopted not only to develop the needs of the students but also to mould them into useful and productive members of society. Involvement in Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) and exposure to the outside world were also given equal emphasis. A diverse range of programmes was introduced to enthuse, challenge and spur students to be adventurous, daring and determined. In order to keep pace with global changes and to cater to the nation's goal of creating a knowledge based economy, schools are now placing greater emphasis on holistic education and entrepreneurship. Integration, which is imperative for progress, has been revitalised through the National Education(NE) programme. In response to these changes and challenges, BDS has embarked on a learning journey that embodies innovation, adaptability and racial harmony. The year 2003 marked the school's move into its new premises along Jalan Langgar Bedok – another milestone in the history of the school. The school prides itself on having modern amenities such as gymnasium, a sports field, an Art room, a Humanities room and a well-equipped media resource library. State-of-the-art computer facilities are also fully made available to the students. The new premises provide and ideal platform for the school to move towards organisational excellence. Improved facilities coupled with innovative ideas create a nurturing environment for students to grow and excel in. Attention to character development remains pivotal and the core values enshrined in I CARE have been carefully crafted to inculcate the right attitude essential to moulding successful and caring students. On 17 December 2007, Mr Krishnan Aravinthan became the new principal of Bedok South Secondary School until his new posting to start up Spectra Secondary School in 2012. Ms Pauline Fun took over the reins of the school from 17 December 2012. Bedok View Secondary School Bedok View Secondary School is a government co-educational secondary school located in southern Bedok, Singapore, within walking distance of Tanah Merah MRT Station. Bedok View Secondary School was founded in January 1977, initially sharing the premises of Chai Chee Secondary School. It started with 5 classes in the English stream and 4 in the Chinese Stream. Mr Mohd Said B H A Samad, the principal-designate, served the school for three and a half years until June 1981. Mr Soh Guan Ba took over as principal from June 1981 to December 1995. Mr Ee Chye Heng joined the school from 1995 to 2000, after which Mr Khairunan bin Ali took over the post. From 2008 to 2011, Mr Boo Chong Han was principal. In 2012, Mr Jeffrey Low took over as principal. In January 1978 the school began functioning in its current premises and was officially opened on 28 September 1979 by Tuan Haji Sha'ari Tadin, former MP for Bedok. It was the 139th school built by the government and the first government secondary school in Bedok New Town. In 1992 major alterations and renovations were carried out, and a 4-storey classroom block was built under the Extension and Alteration Project. The school now has 36 classrooms, a language laboratory, a commerce room, two computer laboratories and six science laboratories. Extensions to the library, staff room and canteen were also carried out. The school subsequently underwent PRIME and the entire project was completed in mid-2005, providing up-to-date facilities for pupils and staff. The school believes that all students can learn and want to learn, though they may learn differently. It believes in having high expectations of all students, and giving them high levels of support through teachers who make a difference, teamwork and collaboration. The school believes that quality teaching contributes to good discipline, and that good discipline contributes to quality teaching and learning. The compulsory uniform consists of white blouse or shirt (which does not need to be tucked in) and beige bottoms. Boys in secondary 1 and secondary 2 must wear short trousers, graduating to long pants in secondary 3 (typically the year in which students turn 15). Students are not allowed to tint or dye their hair. Boys must have short hair. Girls wear pleated beige skirt. All students must wear white socks, which must be clearly visible. Minor penalties for indiscipline include detention, canteen duty or community work order, and there is also a demerit points system. For smoking (on or off school premises), rudeness or defiance, theft, forgery, abuse of technology, fighting/bullying and substance abuse, male students receive corporal punishment, whereby two or three hard strokes of a large rattan cane are administered to the seat of the boy's uniform trousers. (Any girls who commit these offences are suspended.) In serious cases the caning ceremony is performed in front of an assembly of the whole student population. However, most canings are administered in private. Normally two strokes are given. Temasek Secondary School Temasek Secondary School (abbreviation: TMS) is an autonomous secondary school in Singapore and serves Secondary One through Five. It was founded in 1980 sharing a campus with Bedok South Secondary School at Upper Changi Road. In 1995, the school attained autonomy. In March 1999, the school moved to its current campus at Upper East Coast Road. The current alumni is Ong Shu Hui. Junior Colleges *Victoria Junior College *Temasek Junior College Other Schools *Global Indian International School (GIIS), East Coast Campus *Katong School (APSN) *NPS International School *Sekolah Indonesia Singapura Houses 19 Kew Crescent 19 Kew Crescent is originally a house where Daniel Culverwell stays and is originally five stories; later it was expanded for the 2008 and 2009. It was replaced by Candice Tan's house when he moves out to United Kingdom in 2011 (Cranleigh), before the house was quickly knocked down when Neo Meusia had went out in 2015 from Stratford Court. It is a 5-stories, of which the first two levels were occupied by Siriwan and Stuart Culverwell, whereas the third and four levels are occupied by Daniel and Jennifer Culverwell, together with the balcony, and then there is also the living room, kitchen and dining room. Many of these things were bought from IKEA Tampines when it opened in 2006. Waringin Walk 35 Waringin Walk is a 2-storey house that is part of Simon Ng, Mabel Lee, Helen Tan, Natalie Ng (b. 1992), Nicolette Ng (b. 1996) and Nigel Ng (b. 1993) respectively and even though the house have some changes, such as the television in the living room was removed in 2011 due to low use, and was moved over to the karaoke room. The desktop computer was also removed on the spot, which make their way for Por Por's room until her death in 22 October 2017. It was built in 2005. Constituencies Fengshan SMC Fengshan Single Member Constituency (Traditional Chinese: 鳳山單選區;Simplified Chinese: 凤山单选区) is a Single Member Constituency within Bedok, Singapore. It was carved from Bedok division prior to the 1984 general election as the population in Bedok grew and absorbed into the then greater three-member ward Bedok Group Representation Constituency before 1991 general election and Bedok GRC had become a four-member ward. It was reformed just before the 2015 general election after being carved out from East Coast Group Representation Constituency. Daniel Mok took use of the constituency from 1984 to 1991. Originally it is Samuel Lee, after that when in the 2015 general election, it became Hazelle Teo Ying Shuang. Gallery 17126537_383645848686560_3216268130552643584_n.jpg|East Village 15875627_728777583953221_1518520764498706432_n.jpg|Belvia Condo 15802288_444123599310309_6141040786390646784_n.jpg|Bedok Reservoir (Neighbourhood 1) 15876202_202515163552046_4334884451466084352_n.jpg|Golden Peony 15306148_1310326285707397_2964989849129451520_n.jpg|Bedok CC 15253199_1448614811845796_4488793200063938560_n.jpg|Linear Green Bedok 14592129_183381632125654_4295935111045578752_n.jpg|TPS E-Hub and Bedok Green Primary School 14597513_527000140843537_7571802819137634304_n.jpg|Bedok Police Division 13183473_1781716488727485_2002119906_n.jpg|Bedok North Bus Depot IMG_20190110_174357.jpg|Bedok Central DBS Bank, which was seen since October 2016 See also *Bedok Reservoir References *Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern Universities Press, ISBN 981-210-205-1 *From National Library Board Singapore, Infopedia website. External links *View Bedok Estate and surroundings *Bedok Free Online Community Forums (BedokToday.COM) Category:Places in Singapore Category:East Region, Singapore Category:Bedok